Restaurant fraud detection apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A restaurant fraud detection apparatus includes one or more cameras, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, and a backend server. The cameras are disposed capture one or more images of a patron within a retail establishment. The POS terminals are coupled to the cameras, where a physical payment method is provided by the patron and entered into one of the POS terminals, and where one or more of the POS terminals receives the images and transmits a request over a network for recognition of the patron. The backend server is configured to receive the request, to access loyalty program data comprising a stored payment method that corresponds to the physical payment method, and to transmit an alert to the POS terminals that indicates the patron is not recognized and that use of the physical payment method may be fraudulent because the stored payment method is associated with a different patron.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the following U.S. ProvisionalApplications, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

SER. FILING NO. DATE TITLE 62/577,091 Oct. 25, 2017 GUEST FACIALRECOGNITION (TST.0102) APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR POINT OF SALE TERMINAL

This application is related to the following co-pending U.S. patentapplications, each of which has a common assignee and common inventors.

SER. FILING NO. DATE TITLE       — FACIAL RECOGNITION SYSTEM FOR(TST.0118) RESTAURANT CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT       —MULTI-RESTAURANT FACIAL (TST.0119) RECOGNITION SYSTEM

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This invention relates in general to the field restaurant management,and more particularly to a facial recognition system for restaurantcustomer relationship management (CRM).

Description of the Related Art

Almost gone are the days when a patron could walk into a retailestablishment and be recognized by the proprietor. Many would waxnostalgic of those days when a recognized—and frequent—patron wastreated quite a bit better than the average man on the street. As such,the frequent patron was offered better service, discounts, higherquality goods and services, and even greater portions of the goods andservices. Such a loyalty system seems now to only exist in local smallbusinesses. To pick out preferred customers today, larger businesseshave to train and dedicate human resources, or they have to implementtechnologies to do the job that has been formerly performed bypersonnel. Retail industries notoriously operate with low margins, so itfollows that engaging and retaining customers is paramount toprofitability, as well as to reputation.

To engage and retain customers, retail businesses have resorted toimplementing a vast array of loyalty programs, and virtually all ofthese programs are implemented using automated mechanisms. One would behard pressed to find an average adult these days who is not a member ofat least one loyalty program, for patrons now clip and apply couponsonline, they register for discounts and specials over the web, their keychains are loaded with plastic cards containing bar codes, and theirsmartphones and pocketbooks record numerous loyalty program user namesand passwords. And their email inboxes are daily bombarded byadvertisements, coupons, and announcements of specials. From a patron'sperspective, participation in loyalty programs is onerous at best, andoften times irritating to the point that discounts and products are lefton the table.

Retail proprietors are quite aware of how burdensome it is for a patronto secure the privileges of most customer loyalty programs. For example,as one skilled in the art will appreciate, most self-service mechanisms(e.g., a kiosk in a restaurant or airport) come equipped with supportpersonnel to help patrons obtain their goods. While difficultself-service mechanisms may not drive a patron to forego a plannedairline trip, he/she just might move on to the next restaurant in thefood court.

The present inventor has observed the problems alluded to above withpresent-day customer engagement and retention systems, and has furthernoted numerous other limitations and disadvantages in the art.

Accordingly, this field of art needs an apparatus and method thatautomate recognition of patrons in a retail establishment, where theburden of recognition does not fall on the patrons themselves.

What is also needed are techniques for recognizing patrons, and morespecifically preferred patrons, while providing access to those patron'sloyalty program data and privileges.

What is additionally needed are mechanisms whereby the entire process oforder placement, fulfillment, and payment is streamlined to the extentthat patrons are recognized and attended to without being annoyed.

What is furthermore needed is a system that not only recognizes andattends to customers in a single retail establishment, but alsorecognizes and attends to those customers at any retail location in amultiple-store chain.

What is moreover needed are loyalty program processing and paymenttechniques that protect customers from fraudulent charges.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, among other applications, is directed to solvingthe above-noted problems and addresses other problems, disadvantages,and limitations of the prior art. The present invention provides asuperior technique for improving customer relations in retailestablishments and efficiency of order processing and fulfilment throughthe employment of facial recognition. In one embodiment, a restaurantfraud detection apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes one ormore cameras, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, and a backend server. Theone or more cameras are disposed within a retail establishment and areconfigured to capture one or more images of a patron within the retailestablishment. The point-of-sale (POS) terminals are operably coupled tothe one or more cameras, where a physical payment method is provided bythe patron and entered into one of the POS terminals, and where one ormore of the POS terminals receives the one or more images and transmitsa request over a network for recognition of the patron. The backendserver is disposed other than where the POS terminals are disposed andis operably coupled to the POS terminals via the network. The backendserver is configured to receive the request, to access loyalty programdata comprising a stored payment method that corresponds to the physicalpayment method, and to transmit an alert to the POS terminals thatindicates the patron is not recognized and that use of the physicalpayment method may be fraudulent because the stored payment method isassociated with a different patron.

One aspect of the present invention contemplates a restaurant frauddetection apparatus. The apparatus has one or more cameras disposed,point-of-sale (POS) terminals, and a backend server. The one or morecameras are disposed within a retail establishment and are configured tocapture one or more images of a patron within the retail establishment.The POS terminals are operably coupled to the one or more cameras, wherea physical payment method is provided by the patron and entered into oneof the POS terminals, and where one or more of the POS terminalsreceives the one or more images and transmits a request over a networkfor recognition of the patron. The backend server is disposed other thanwhere the POS terminals are disposed and is operably coupled to the POSterminals via the network. The backend server is configured to receivethe request, to access loyalty program data comprising a stored paymentmethod that corresponds to the physical payment method, and to transmitan alert to the POS terminals that indicates the patron is notrecognized and that use of the physical payment method may be fraudulentbecause the stored payment method is associated with a different patron.The backend server includes a payment processor, configured to accessthe stored payment method that corresponds to the different patron.

Another aspect of the present invention envisages a restaurant frauddetection method. The method includes: via one or more cameras disposedwithin a retail establishment, capturing one or more images of a patronwithin the retail establishment; via one of a plurality of point-of-sale(POS) terminals, receiving the one or more images, and transmitting arequest over a network for recognition of the patron, where a physicalpayment method is provided by the patron and is entered into the one ofthe plurality of POS terminals; and via a backend server, disposed otherthan where the plurality of POS terminals is disposed and operablycoupled to the plurality of POS terminals via the network, receiving therequest, accessing loyalty program data comprising a stored paymentmethod that corresponds to the physical payment method, and transmittingan alert to the POS terminals that indicates the patron is notrecognized and that use of the physical payment method may be fraudulentbecause the stored payment method is associated with a different patron.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a present-day product fulfilmentcycle for placing orders, offering loyalty and upsell incentives,fulfilling orders, processing payment for the orders, and updatingcustomer loyalty data;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting a facial recognition system forrestaurant customer relationship management (CRM) according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram featuring details of the backend server withinthe facial recognition system 200 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing details of a point-of-sale (POS)terminal within the facial recognition system 200 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary status messagesaccording to the present invention that are exchanged between thebackend server and fixed/mobile terminals;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram detailing a method according to the presentinvention for enrollment and payment method storage;

FIG. 7 is diagram illustrating an exemplary enrollment display accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram depicting a method according to the presentinvention for CRM and payment that employs facial recognition;

FIG. 9 is diagram featuring an exemplary CRM display according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 10 is diagram showing an exemplary payment display according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a facial recognition systemaccording to the present invention that may be employed across multiplerestaurants;

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram detailing a facial recognition fraud detectionmethod according to the present invention; and

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary fraud detection displayaccording to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary and illustrative embodiments of the invention are describedbelow. It should be understood at the outset that, although exemplaryembodiments are illustrated in the figures and described below, theprinciples of the present disclosure may be implemented using any numberof techniques, whether currently known or not. In the interest ofclarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described inthis specification, for those skilled in the art will appreciate that inthe development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementationspecific decisions are made to achieve specific goals, such ascompliance with system-related and business-related constraints, whichvary from one implementation to another. Furthermore, it will beappreciated that such a development effort might be complex andtime-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking forthose of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of thisdisclosure. Various modifications to the preferred embodiment will beapparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles definedherein may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the presentinvention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodimentsshown and described herein, but is to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the principles and novel features herein disclosed.

The present invention will now be described with reference to theattached figures. Various structures, systems, and devices areschematically depicted in the drawings for purposes of explanation onlyand so as to not obscure the present invention with details that arewell known to those skilled in the art. Nevertheless, the attacheddrawings are included to describe and explain illustrative examples ofthe present invention. Unless otherwise specifically noted, articlesdepicted in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

The words and phrases used herein should be understood and interpretedto have a meaning consistent with the understanding of those words andphrases by those skilled in the relevant art. No special definition of aterm or phrase (i.e., a definition that is different from the ordinaryand customary meaning as understood by those skilled in the art) isintended to be implied by consistent usage of the term or phrase herein.To the extent that a term or phrase is intended to have a specialmeaning (i.e., a meaning other than that understood by skilled artisans)such a special definition will be expressly set forth in thespecification in a definitional manner that directly and unequivocallyprovides the special definition for the term or phrase. As used in thisdisclosure, “each” refers to each member of a set, each member of asubset, each member of a group, each member of a portion, each member ofa part, etc.

Applicants note that unless the words “means for” or “step for” areexplicitly used in a particular claim, it is not intended that any ofthe appended claims or claim elements are recited in such a manner as toinvoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f).

Definitions

Central Processing Unit (CPU): The electronic circuits (i.e.,“hardware”) that execute the instructions of a computer program (alsoknown as a “computer application” or “application”) by performingoperations on data that include arithmetic operations, logicaloperations, and input/output operations.

Microprocessor: An electronic device that functions as a CPU on a singleintegrated circuit. A microprocessor receives digital data as input,processes the data according to instructions fetched from a memory(either on-die or off-die), and generates results of operationsprescribed by the instructions as output. A general-purposemicroprocessor may be employed in a desktop, mobile, or tablet computer,and is employed for uses such as computation, text editing, multimediadisplay, and Internet browsing. A microprocessor may also be disposed inan embedded system to control a wide variety of devices includingappliances, mobile telephones, smart phones, and industrial controldevices.

Microcode: A term employed to refer to a plurality of microinstructions. A micro instruction (also referred to as a “nativeinstruction”) is an instruction at the level that a microprocessorsub-unit executes. Exemplary sub-units include integer units, floatingpoint units, MMX units, and load/store units. For example, microinstructions are directly executed by a reduced instruction set computer(RISC) microprocessor. For a complex instruction set computer (CISC)microprocessor such as an x86-compatible microprocessor, x86instructions are translated into associated micro instructions, and theassociated micro instructions are directly executed by a sub-unit orsub-units within the CISC microprocessor.

In view of the above background discussion on present-day restaurantmanagement systems and associated techniques employed therein forexecuting customer relationship management (CRM) programs andinitiatives, a discussion of these systems and techniques will bepresented with reference to FIG. 1. Following this, a discussion of thepresent invention will be presented with reference to FIGS. 2-13. Thepresent invention provides superior mechanisms and techniques thatovercome the disadvantages and limitations of present-day restaurantmanagement systems by employing facial recognition apparatus and methodsto improve the timeliness and effectiveness of customer loyalty andincentive programs, payment by patrons, and related CRM functions suchas, but not limited to, demographic analytics and fraud detection. Inaddition to providing efficiency improvements in this field of art, thepresent invention furthermore provides for significant performanceimprovements on ordering and payment devices, as well as onpoint-of-sale (POS) terminals within one or more associatedestablishments.

Turning to FIG. 1, a flow diagram 100 is presented illustrating apresent-day method for fulfilling product orders for one or morepatrons. The method is indicative of how the one or more patrons mayinteract with retail staff within a retail establishment for the purposeof ordering, upselling, modifying, fulfilling, paying for, updatingloyalty data, and closing out an order for goods and/or services.

Flow begins at block 102, where one or more patrons enter into theretail establishment desirous of purchasing goods and/or services. Theretail establishment may comprise, but is not limited to, a restaurantat a fixed location, a mobile restaurant (e.g., food truck), a retailstore (e.g., big box store), a hotel lobby having product kiosks, asports stadium having product stands, an entertainment venue (e.g.,movie theater, concert hall), a cruise ship, an airliner, or any otherscenario within which one or more patrons may select, pay for, and enjoygoods and/or services. Flow then proceeds to block 104.

At block 104, the one or more patrons select their goods and/or servicesand an order is created at a POS terminal. The order may be created bythe patrons themselves (e.g., self-ordering on the POS terminal, or“kiosk”) or the order may be initiated by a retail staff member on thePOS terminal or a mobile order entry device. The order may haveidentifying information (e.g., an order number) attached thereto. Aspart of order creation, loyalty information for one or more of thepatrons may be accessed by means of data associated with the patrons,which is entered by the patrons or by the retail staff member. Presentday techniques to access loyalty data include providing/entering atelephone number, a user name and password, an email address, etc. Whenprovided/entered, the accessed loyalty information may include pastorders, order frequency, past visits, gift cards and point programs,special incentive offers, and upsell prompts for use by the retailstaff. Flow then proceeds to decision block 106.

At decision block 106, an evaluation is made to determine if the orderis to be modified. For example, one of the one or more patrons may makea change to the order (e.g., “cut the pickles,” “the green lampshadeinstead of the blue lampshade,” etc.). If so, then flow proceeds toblock 108. If the order remains unchanged, then flow proceeds to block110.

At block 108, the order is modified on the POS terminal according to therequested change. Flow then proceeds to block 110.

At block 110, the POS terminal may transmit the order to an orderfulfillment area of the retail establishment. For example, in a big boxstore, this area may comprise a warehouse area in the back. In arestaurant, this area may comprise a kitchen. Other examples abound.Accordingly, retail staff members in the order fulfillment area beginpreparations to fulfill the order. Flow then proceeds to decision block112.

At decision block 112, an evaluation is made to determine if the orderis to be modified, yet again. As one skilled in the art will appreciate,patrons are finicky and inconsistent and, as the saying goes, “thecustomer is always right.” If the order remains unchanged, then theorder is fulfilled and flow proceeds to block 114. If the order is to bemodified, then flow proceeds to block 108.

At block 114, following fulfillment of the order, one or more paymentsources for the order are processed by the POS terminal. The paymentsources may include, but are not limited to, cash, check, gift cards,gift tokens, magnetic strip credit cards, Europay, MasterCard, and Visa(EMV) credit cards (i.e. chip-and-signature credit cards, chip-and-PINcredit cards), credit cards employing near-field communications (NFC),credit cards employing radio frequency identification (RFID), loyaltyaccounts, house accounts, bitcoins, and other types of digitalcurrencies. Flow then proceeds to decision block 114.

At decision block 116, an evaluation is made to determine if the orderis to be modified even once more. For example, even after initialpayment occurs in block 114, the one or more patrons may decide tomodify the paid-for order by ordering additional goods and/or services(e.g. “Can I get a coffee in a to go cup?”, “Oh, wrong credit card. Usethis one.”). Accordingly, if the order is to be modified, flow thenproceeds to block 108, where the state of the order is modified to allowfor consistency, regardless of whether additional fulfillment isrequired. If the order is not to be modified, flow proceeds to block118.

At block 118, the POS terminal may change the state of the order to“closed.” Upon closure of the order, loyalty data for the one or morecustomers may be updated within the restaurant management system. Suchloyalty data may include the processed order, amounts paid, anddemographics such as time or day, day of the week, etc. Flow thenproceeds to block 120.

At block 120, the method completes whereby the one or more patrons mayexit the retail establishment, having purchased their goods/and orservices, or they may remain for purposes of placing a new order.

The method of FIG. 1 is a general and simple case of what may occur inany present-day retail establishment. Though orders may be takenmanually in smaller establishments, more often than not the POS terminalis an electronic data entry and display device in one of severalconfigurations including a fixed POS terminal, a kiosk, or aportable/mobile POS terminal. For establishments and chains that have asignificant number of patrons, manual access to their loyalty data isvirtually impossible, but electronic access, albeit cumbersome to bothcustomers and retail staff, is possible and such is currently the stateof the art.

As alluded to above, there is a need in the art to improve theefficiency of order entry and processing, including the execution of CRMactions such as loyalty programs and incentives, payment processing, andother CRM-related tasks. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, withthe advent of order entry kiosks and other automated ordering devices,the responsibility for correct order entry, payment, and otherCRM-related tasks is increasingly being transferred from retail staff tothe patrons themselves. For purposes of the present application, a kioskis defined to be a fixed or mobile terminal exhibiting a user interfaceoriented toward patrons placing orders and/or making payments for orderswithout the assistance of retail staff. A fixed POS terminal and mobilePOS terminal are more complex devices that provide for increasedfunctionality and exhibit a user interface oriented toward retail staffplacing orders and/or making payments for orders on behalf of patrons.As one skilled in the art will also appreciate, patrons are not aspatient with such order entry devices as staff, and may elect to leavethe establishment without placing an order because the kiosks are toodifficult to operate. Examples of challenges to patrons are numerous,such as difficulty in finding a menu item, difficulty in modifying anorder, requirements to enter user names and passwords in order to accessloyalty data, and requirements to manually swipe/dip/tap credit cards.Because of these challenges, certain patrons may simply elect to moveon. This is a problem, particularly in those retail establishments withvery small profit margins.

Attempts have been made to improve the efficiency of order entry andprocessing systems. For example, U.S. Patent Publications 2015/0228001and US2015/0227978, both to Woycik et al (hereinafter, the “Nextep”publications), disclose techniques for identifying a patron in anestablishment (e.g., retail store, restaurant, etc.) that require atleast two identification mechanisms be employed. The identificationmechanisms may comprise a camera, an IR sensor, a radio, and/or amicrophone. Accordingly, at least two sets of identification data mustbe generated. The sets may comprise data indicative of an image of thepatron's face, data indicative of an image of at least a portion of thepatron's vehicle; data indicative of the patron's voice, and dataindicative of a unique identifier of a wireless electronic device thatis associated with the patron. The identification mechanisms employ theat least two data sets to generate a probabilistic confidence level thatthe patron matches a customer who has formerly frequented theestablishment, and the confidence level is binned into one of aplurality of predefined confidence level ranges, which are then used todetermine several features that are directed towards the patron, such ashow a point of sale (POS) system within the establishment may tailor auser interface (UI) which may be presented to the patron (via a kiosk)for purposes such as upsell opportunities.

The present inventor has noted that the identification techniquesdisclosed in the Nextep publications are exceptionally disadvantageousbecause more than one set of identification data must be generated andprocessed to identify a patron to a sufficient level of confidence. Thisprior art is additionally limiting in that it provides for determiningwhether a customer matches a past record with some level of confidence,but only when more than one set of identification data is generated andprocessed.

The present inventor has also observed that present-day identificationtechniques are lacking in that they are only directed toward accessinghistorical ordering data for purposes of upsell. Consequently, thesepresent-day techniques cannot be employed for new patrons or for patronswho do not come in contact with a kiosk, such as in a full-serviceestablishment that relies on retail staff for order entry andprocessing. Additionally, these techniques do not provide for anyanalytics or reporting features, nor do they provide for voluntaryenrollment (e.g., asking a patron if he or she wants their picture takento enroll in a loyalty program).

The present invention overcomes the above noted disadvantages andlimitations, and others by providing apparatus and method forrecognizing a patron in a retail establishment, by either secretly orvoluntarily storing a picture of the patron's face and derived metadata,along with loyalty and payment information, so that he or she can betracked and/or re-identified using facial recognition exclusively whenin the retail establishment or associated retail establishments in thefuture. The present invention will now be discussed with reference toFIGS. 2-13.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a block diagram is presented depicting a facialrecognition system 200 for restaurant CRM according to the presentinvention. The facial recognition system 200 may include one or moreservice areas 202, such as a front service area 202, service area1-service area N 202, and a kitchen service area 202. Going forward, thepresent inventor notes that although the present invention is applicableto any type of retail establishment as described above, a restaurantestablishment will be henceforth employed for clarity in order to teachrelevant aspects of the present invention. The present inventor furthernotes that though restaurant terms such as host, wait staff, cook,kitchen, food item, etc. may be employed as well, such terms are used tomore clearly teach the present invention in a given context; however,broader and different retail establishment types and associated termsare envisioned.

The service areas 202 may comprise one or more wireless access points201. The service areas 202 may also comprise one or more wireless POSterminals 211, 221, 231, coupled to the access points 201 via wirelesslinks 203, and which are distinguished in the system 200 as a hostterminal 211, mobile terminals 221, and order processing terminals 231.The service areas 202 may additionally comprise one or more facialrecognition cameras 222. The cameras 222 may be coupled to the wirelessaccess points 201 over the wireless links 203. The cameras 222 mayalternatively be hardwired instead of wireless. The service areas 202may further comprise a gateway 213 to which are coupled one or morefixed hardwired terminals 212, and which provides for coupling of thefixed terminals 212, access points 201, and hardwired cameras 222 to abackend server 270 over an internet cloud 260 via conventional wiredlinks 205 such as, but not limited to, Ethernet, cable, fiber optic, anddigital subscriber line (DSL). As part of a network path to and throughthe cloud 260 to the backend server 270, providers of internetconnectivity (e.g., internet service providers) may employ wirelesstechnologies from tower to tower, etc., but for purposes of thisapplication, such links 205 will be referred to as conventional wiredlinks 205 to distinguish them from local and cellular wireless links.The wireless links 203 may comprise, but are not limited to, Wi-Fi,Bluetooth, near field communications, infrared links, IEEE 802.15.4,Zigbee radio links, and cellular based links (e.g., 3G, 4G, LTE) or acombination of the noted links. The POS terminals 211, 212, 221, 231 maybe configured differently to comport with intended function (e.g., hostseating, order and payment entry by wait staff, order and payment bypatrons (i.e., kiosks), CRM enrollment, order fulfillment, etc.). In oneembodiment, the mobile terminals 221 may comprise a tablet computer witha touch screen display and integral payment processor (e.g.,card/chip/tap reader) that provides for both order entry, CRM functions,display of order status, and payment processing. As such, the hostterminal 211, fixed terminals 212, and order processing terminals 231may comprise larger tablets with touch screens and integral or coupledpayment processors to allow for easier viewing by restaurant staff, orthey may comprise displays with keyboard entry and payment processinghardware coupled thereto. In one embodiment, terminals 211, 212, 231 maycomprise desktop computers, laptop computers, smartphones, or tabletsthat are running application programs or web-enabled applicationprograms that provide for communication with the backend server 270 forpurposes of order entry, execution of CRM actions, status updates, andoptionally, payment processing.

The backend server 270 is coupled to the internet cloud 260 and to anadministrative console 271 a conventional wired link 205 and/or awireless link 203. The backend server 270 is not on-premise and may beherein referred to as a cloud server 270. The administrative console 271may be disposed within the restaurant premises and coupled to thebackend server 270 via the links 203, 205, or the console 271 may bedisposed in another location, say, at an operations headquarters formultiple restaurants within a given region. In addition, the system 200may comprise one or more browser-based terminals 281 that are coupled tothe backend server 270 via links 205. In one embodiment, thebrowser-based terminals 281 may comprise desktop computers, laptop,computers, smartphones, or tablets that are running stand-aloneproprietary applications or web-enabled proprietary applications thatprovide for communication with the backend server 270 for purposes oforder entry, CRM programs enrollment, status updates, and optionally,payment processing.

The system 200 may further comprise one or more third-party-basedterminals 241 that are coupled to the backend server 270 via theconventional links 205 though the cloud 260. The third party-basedterminals 241 may comprise desktop computers, laptop, computers,smartphones, or tablets that are running stand-alone third-partyapplications or web-enabled third-party applications that provide forcommunication with the backend server 270 for purposes of order entry,status updates, and optionally, payment processing via a proprietaryapplication programming interface (API) 242. An example of such aterminal 241 may include the well-known GRUBHUB® third-party applicationthat is configured to communicate with the backend server 270 via theAPI 241.

The system 200 may further comprise one or more delivery terminals 251that are coupled to one or more cellular access points 201 viaconventional cellular wireless links 203, and the cellular access points201 are coupled to the backend server 270 via the cloud 260. In oneembodiment, the delivery terminals 251 are identical to the mobileterminals 221, and are configured to provide services for order entry,CRM enrollment, order fulfillment (i.e., delivery), and paymentprocessing. In another embodiment, the delivery terminals 251 aredisposed as smartphones or tablets with a detachable payment processor(e.g., card/chip reader). In a further embodiment, the deliveryterminals 251 are disposed as smartphone or tablets with a paymentprocessor integrated within a single housing. Other embodiments arecontemplated.

Service areas 202 corresponding to the mobile terminals 221 may have oneor more tables 204 corresponding to one or more orders. For clarity,service area 1 202 depicts two tables 204, one of which corresponds toorder 1 OD1, and the other of which corresponds to order 2 OD2. Themobile terminals 221 within service area 1 202 may processes portions ofboth order 1 OD1 and order 2 OD2.

Service area N 202 depicts two tables 204, both of which correspond toorder A ODA. The mobile terminals 221 within service area N 202 may bothprocess portions order A ODA.

Though disposed within separate service areas (service area 1202-service area N 202), the mobile terminals 221 therein may be furtherconfigured to process portions of any and all orders within therestaurant and may roam from service area 202 to service area to supportwork load of the restaurant.

The order processing terminals 231 may process all orders in therestaurant, or they may be configured to each process a portion of allof the orders in the restaurant according to preparation station orinventory station.

The host terminal 211 and fixed terminals 212 may be configured toprocess all orders in the restaurant to provide for on-premise seatingassignment, order initiation, order selection, and payment processing,including closeout of orders.

One or more restaurant staff members (not shown) within service area 1202-service area N 202 may have a personal device (e.g., smartphone,tablet, laptop) 206 that can provide an ad hoc network (i.e., a hotspot)to which one or more of the mobile terminals 221 may tether for purposesof communicating with the backend server 270 in the absence of Wi-Ficonnectivity to the access points 201.

In one embodiment, operations are initiated when the one or more patronsenter the restaurant. Generally, a host (not shown) will create an order(along with corresponding order identifier (01D) via the host terminal211 for the one or more patrons, and will seat the patrons at one ormore tables 204. Upon entry and along the path to their seats, one ormore of the facial recognition cameras 222 will capture one or morefacial images of each of the patron. The created order may includeservice area designation and assignment of the order to one or moremobile terminals 221 along with facial image indicia of each of thepatrons. In another embodiment, mobile terminals 221 within a servicearea 202 are assigned to all orders and facial image indicia within thatservice area 202. Other embodiments are contemplated. The created order,service area assignment, and data indicative of the facial images aretransmitted over the cloud 260 to the backend server 270, whichmaintains durable terminal queues within which are stored order updatesfor all orders in the restaurant. In one embodiment, the data indicativeof the facial images comprises JPEG images. The JPEG images may becompressed or uncompressed. In another embodiment, the indicative datais provided in a format that comports with an API corresponding to agiven 3^(rd) party facial recognition service including, but not limitedto, AMAZON REKOGNITION®, KAIROS®, and IBM WATSON® VISUAL RECOGNITION.

Each of the plurality of durable queues correspond to each of the POSterminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 within the system 200. When connectionstatus to a given terminal 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 is down (i.e., theserver 270 cannot verify communication with the given terminal 211, 212,221, 231, 251), then the server maintains the order updates for thatterminal 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 until connectivity is reestablished, atwhich time the server 270 may transmit one or more of the order updatesto the terminal, verifying with each transmission that the terminal 211,212, 221, 231, 251 received the update. Advantageously, each of theterminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 is capable of processing portions ofany of the orders in the restaurant.

Likewise, each of the terminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 maintainsdurable order queues within which are stored order updates only for eachof the orders being processed by the terminal 211, 212, 221, 231, 251.Each of the terminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 also maintains a pluralityof order states that depict a current state for each of the orders inthe restaurant. As a seated patron selects one or more menu items, waitstaff enters the menu items as an update in one of the terminals 211,212, 221, 231, 251, generally a mobile terminal 221 assigned to thegiven service area 202. The order update is entered into one of thedurable order queues that corresponds to the order ID. If connectivityif present, then the terminal 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 transmits theorder update to the server 270 and waits for the server 270 toacknowledge the order update. If acknowledged, the terminal 211, 212,221, 231, 251 removes the order update from the one of the durable orderqueues. If unacknowledged (i.e., in the case of non-persistent networkconnectivity), the terminal 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 maintains the orderupdate in the one of the durable order queues until such time asconnectivity is reestablished, and the terminal 211, 212, 221, 231, 251completes transmission of the order update with acknowledgement by theserver 270.

Upon reception of a particular update from the server 270, the terminals211, 212, 221, 231, 251 may check one of their plurality of order statesthat correspond to the particular update for conflicts, as will bedescribed in further detail below. If a conflict exists, the terminals211, 212, 221, 231, 251 may utilize domain specific rules to resolve theconflict in order to establish a valid order state. Each of theterminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 is configured with the same domainspecific rules to provide for consistent resolution of order states. Theorder updates may include facial IDs assigned to each of the patronsfaces. The order updates may additionally include loyalty data thatcorresponds to patrons that are recognized. The loyalty data may includepatron name, past orders, restaurant and order frequencies, loyalty andincentive program data (e.g., points or number of orders purchasedtoward a reduced-price order), demographics, and stored payment methods(e.g., gift cards, credit card types, etc.). Preferably, the storedpayment methods do not comprise actual credit card numbers, but rathercomprise tokens that correspond to payment methods, where the tokens areemployed to access actual credit card numbers within secured andencrypted storage.

As patrons continue to order items corresponding to the order ID, theone or more of the terminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 may enter the orderupdates and transmit/durably queue the order updates to the server 270in accordance with connectivity conditions. The server 270 may alsoqueue/transmit order updates for all orders in the restaurant to each ofthe terminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 according each terminal'sconnectivity. Order fulfillment, loyalty data access, payment, loyaltydata update, and closeout are likewise handled as order updates throughthe server 270 and are queued/transmitted to all of the terminals 211,212, 221, 231, 251 in accordance with the connection status of eachterminal.

The loyalty data, or lack thereof, may be employed by the system toprompt upsell opportunities via prompts on any of the terminals 211,212, 221, 231, 251, 281, to process payment, to validate patronidentity, to preclude fraudulent payment attempts, to support back-enddemographic analytical reports, and any of a number of useful CRMfunctions.

Patrons outside of the restaurant are also handled in similar fashionvia the browser-based terminals 281, and third-party terminals 241,though without feedback from the server 270 regarding all orders in therestaurant. When accessed through the browser-based terminals 281 andthird-party terminals 241, the server 270 creates and order ID andassigns it to one of the order processing terminals 231 for fulfillment,while sending status updates on the order ID to all of the terminals211, 212, 221, 231, 251 via the durable terminal queue therein. Patronsmay enroll in a loyalty program by authorizing the terminals 281, 241 totake a facial photo and transmit the photo to the backend server 270.The patrons may further provide payment type and data via the terminals281, 241, which is encrypted and transmitted to the backend server 240and provided to secure storage. The server 270 may designate a specificdelivery terminal 251 for pickup, delivery, and payment based upongeofenced proximity to the restaurant, or based upon workloadcorresponding to the delivery terminal. Proximity to the restaurant maybe determined by a number of different mechanisms, as will be describedin further detail below.

The administrative console 271 may maintain a master record of all orderstates and order updates according to all of the terminals 211, 212,221, 231, 251 in order to provide for restaurant management,maintenance, analytics, and network traffic analyses. The console 271may alternatively be disposed in an expediter's area of the restaurantfor use by expediters in assignment and allocation of patron seating andterminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251.

The durable terminal queues and durable order queues may be disposed asbattery backed random-access memory, electrically-erasable programmableread-only memory, solid state memory, hard disk memory, or a combinationof the above that will provide for maintaining order updates within thequeues across network and power interruptions.

Advantageously, the present invention provides for more efficientperformance of computational resources within the server 270 and the POSterminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 over that which has heretofore beenprovided because multiple terminals 211, 212, 221, 231, 251 may beassigned to process portions of a single order, resulting in more timelyprocessing of the single order. Similarly, any of the terminals 211,212, 221, 231, 251 in the restaurant may be immediately reassigned to aparticular order to replace a malfunctioning terminal or to increasethroughput of the server 270. Accordingly, computational resources 211,212, 221, 231, 251, 270 within the system 200 are afforded an overallperformance improvement as a result of the present invention.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a block diagram is presented featuring thebackend server within the facial recognition system 200 of FIG. 2. Thebackend server 300 may comprise communications circuitry COMMS 302(e.g., transceivers, modems, message formatter, etc.) that is coupled toone or more wired or wireless communications links 301, examples ofwhich are described above with reference to FIG. 2. The server 300 mayalso comprise a terminal status element 305, a terminal update element306, and a payment processor 304, all of which are coupled to COMMS 302via a message bus MSG. The terminal status element 305 is coupled to theterminal update element 306 via a status bus STS. The terminal updateelement 306 may comprise a service area map SA MAP 307. The terminalupdate element 306 is coupled to the payment processor 304, a facialprocessor 308, and to an order initiation element ORDER INIT 303 via aterminal bus TBUS. The facial processor 308 may comprise a facial IDtable 322. The payment processor 304 is coupled to a secure credit cardvault 323 via a primary account number bus PAN. Preferably the creditcard vault 323 comprises secure and encrypted stores which may becollocated with other elements of the backend server 300, or may beremotely located in a secure facility. The facial processor 308 may becollocated with other elements of the backend server 300, or may be aremotely located web service accessible via the COMMS 302, such as thefacial recognition services discussed above with reference to FIG. 2.The terminal update element 306 is also coupled to a queue processor 310via a queue bus QBUS.

The queue processor 310 may include a durable terminal queue 311 thatincludes terminal update records 312, each of which are associated witha corresponding POS terminal (not shown) employed within a givenrestaurant. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, N terminal update records 312are shown, each associated with a corresponding one of N POS terminalsfor the given restaurant. In a large restaurant or big box environment,N may be roughly equal to 100 POS terminals, though larger and smallernumbers are contemplated.

Each of the terminal update records 312 may comprise update fields 313,which are employed to queue order updates for transmission to each ofthe corresponding POS terminals as connectivity to the corresponding POSterminals permits. Update fields 313 nearest to OUT are the oldest orderupdates queued for transmission to the corresponding POS terminals.Update fields 313 nearest to IN are youngest (or most recent) orderupdates queued for transmission to the corresponding POS terminals.Fields 313 between the oldest order updates and the youngest orderupdates descend in age from oldest to youngest update according to whenthose updates are received from others of the corresponding POSterminals.

Values of the order update fields 313 may include, but are not limitedto, an order ID along with order details, loyalty details, and etc.taken by the others of the corresponding POS terminals. Accordingly, theterminal update record 312 for POS terminal 1 TERM1 depicts a pluralityof order update fields 313 to be transmitted to TERM1 when connectivityis reestablished with TERM1. In decreasing age from oldest to youngestorder update, the fields 313 depict updates to order 64 U64, then order6 U6, then order 22 U22, and so on, culminating with an update to order17 U17. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, the terminal updaterecord 312 for TERM1 is indicative that TERM1 has been offline (i.e., noconnectivity) longer than any of the other POS terminals in therestaurant. This length of time may correspond to a mobile POS terminalthat is serving a party on a restaurant porch that has poor Wi-Ficonnectivity, or may correspond to a delivery POS terminal that istraversing an area with poor cellular coverage. The terminal updaterecords 312 corresponding to TERM2, TERM 3, and TERMN depict a number ofpopulated order update fields 313 less than the number of fields forTERM1, which may correspond to mobile POS terminals within therestaurant that have only slightly intermittent Wi-Fi connectivity. Andthe terminal update record for TERM4 through TERM N−1 contain only emptyorder update fields 313, thus indicated that these POS terminals are upto date on all order state changes within the restaurant.

Operationally, the terminal status element 305 may periodically transmita first message to each of the POS terminals and update the connectivitystatus of the POS terminals based upon whether they acknowledge thefirst message or not. In one embodiment, the first message may comprisea ping message. In one embodiment, acknowledgment may comprise a simpleacknowledge message. In other embodiments, acknowledgement may compriseadditional data such as received signal strength indication RSSI, numberof hops, or Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, as will bedescribed in further detail below.

The terminal status element 305 may provide connectivity status of eachof the POS terminals to the terminal update element 306 via bus STS. Theservice area map 307 is a table that associates each of the POSterminals to one or more service areas within the restaurant. In oneembodiment, the terminal update element 306 may generate order updatemessages from oldest to youngest update for each of the POS terminalsthat are connected. Connectivity is maintained when a POS terminalacknowledges receipt of an order update message. Once acknowledged, theterminal update element 306 directs the queue processor 310 to deletethe oldest order update for that POS terminal and shift pending orderupdates so that the next oldest order update becomes the oldest orderupdate. In one embodiment, order updates are transmitted to a given POSterminal until its terminal update record 312 is empty, or untilconnectivity is broken.

In one embodiment, all of the POS terminals associated with therestaurant are updated by the terminal update element 306. In analternative embodiment, POS terminals are selectively updated inaccordance with their mapping to the one or more service areas. Forexample, the delivery POS terminals may only require knowledge of ordersthat are to be delivered outside the restaurant, and thus they may bemapped to a “delivery” service area so that order updates thatcorrespond to the delivery service area are transmitted to the deliveryPOS terminals. Similarly, the restaurant or retail establishment may beso large that management dedicates certain POS terminals to designateservice areas. Accordingly, all of the POS terminals in a given servicearea may be employed to update any order placed within the given servicearea, but they may not be employed to update orders placed outside ofthe given service area.

Messages received from the communications circuit 302 may also requireadditional functions to be performed by the backend server 300. Forexample, facial images corresponding to a particular order may beprovided to the facial processor 308 to determine if a patron isrecognized, that is, the patron's image has been previously enrolled inthe system and their loyalty data is stored in the facial ID table 322.If unrecognized, the facial processor 308 may assign a unique facial IDto the corresponding image and mark it as unrecognized. If recognized,the facial processor 308 may access the patron's loyalty data within thefacial ID table 322 and provide this data in an update field 313 thatcorresponds to an assigned order ID. The backend server 300 may furtherreceive messages from the communications circuit 302 that include facialimages and loyalty program enrollment data, including payment methoddata, when provided by patrons enrolling from browser based terminal281, via a fixed terminal within the restaurant 212 (a kiosk or fixedPOS terminal), via one of the mobile terminals 221, or via a deliveryterminal 251. Accordingly, the facial processor 308 may assign a uniquefacial ID to each of the facial images and store these images along withenrollment data within the facial ID table 322. The facial ID may beprovided to the payment processor 304 in conjunction with payment methoddata, thus enabling the payment processor 304 to store the paymentmethod data in the credit card vault 323 and to associate the paymentmethod data with the facial ID. Preferably, upon entry of a paymentmethod within the vault 323, the vault 323 will additionally generate aunique token that corresponds to the payment method data only, so thatthe unique token may be employed to access loyalty program data andother CRM-related data in when patrons decline to provide facial images,but prefer to store a payment method. In such an embodiment, the uniquetoken may be employed throughout the restaurant system to access data ina manner that does not compromise primary account numbers or othersensitive patron data.

When orders are placed by a browser-based or third-party based terminal,the terminal update element 306 may transmit the order update to theorder initiation element 303 via TBUS. The order initiation element 303may then create an order ID for the order update and may assign theorder ID to one or more of the POS terminals within the restaurant.Similarly, when an order update message received over the COMMS 302requires processing of transactions outside of the POS terminals'capabilities (e.g., financial transactions with credit card providers,loyalty card discounts, etc.), the payment processor 304 may generatemessages to complete the transactions and the messages are transmittedvia COMMS 302. The payment processor 304 may further generate orderupdates (e.g., “order paid,” “payment source 1 approved,” “discountamount,” etc.) to be transmitted to the POS terminals and may providethese updates to the terminal update element 306 via TBUS. The terminalupdate element 306 may then provide those updates to the durable queue311 via QBUS, and the updates are transmitted to the POS terminals indue course dependent upon connection status, as is described above.

The present inventor notes that the term “restaurant” is employed toinclude those fixed and mobile POS terminals within the restaurant alongwith corresponding delivery POS terminals associated with therestaurant, such as delivery POS terminals 251 depicted in FIG. 2. Thereare no terminal update records 312 corresponding to browser-based orthird-party-based terminals since orders placed on these devices arecreated and assigned to one of the POS terminals within the restaurantfor fulfillment, preferably order processing terminals, such as theorder processing terminals 231 in FIG. 2.

The backend server 300 according to the present invention is configuredto perform the functions and operations as discussed above and maycomprise one or more central processing units (CPUs) coupled to bothtransitory and non-transitory stores via conventional mechanisms. Thenon-transitory stores may include one or more applications programs thatmay be executed to perform the functions and operations discussed above.The one or more application programs may be cached within the transitorystorage for speed of execution at run time. The server 300 may comprisedigital and/or analog logic, circuits, devices, or microcode (i.e.,micro instructions or native instructions), or a combination of logic,circuits, devices, or microcode, or equivalent elements that areemployed to execute the functions and operations according to thepresent invention as noted. The elements employed to accomplish theseoperations and functions within the server 300 may be shared with othercircuits, microcode, etc., that are employed to perform other functionsand/or operations within the server 300. According to the scope of thepresent application, microcode is a term employed to refer to aplurality of micro instructions. A micro instruction (also referred toas a native instruction) is an instruction at the level that a unitexecutes. For example, micro instructions are directly executed by areduced instruction set computer (RISC) microprocessor. For a complexinstruction set computer (CISC) microprocessor such as an x86-compatiblemicroprocessor, x86 instructions are translated into associated microinstructions, and the associated micro instructions are directlyexecuted by a unit or units within the CISC microprocessor.

Now referring to FIG. 4, a block diagram is presented showing of apoint-of-sale (POS) terminal 400 within the facial recognition system200 of FIG. 2. The POS terminal 400 is representative of any of theterminals 211-212, 221, 231, 251 discussed with reference to FIG. 2, thedifferences being primarily in size and complexity of the terminal 400,and whether the terminal 400 may comprise wired or wirelesscapabilities, or both wired and wireless capabilities.

The durable POS terminal 400 may comprise a communications circuit COMMS402 (e.g., transceivers, modems, message formatter, etc.) that iscoupled to one or more wired or wireless communications links 301,examples of which are described above with reference to FIG. 2. Thedurable POS terminal 400 may also comprise a connection monitor 404, anorder processor 410, and a payment processor 406, all of which arecoupled to COMMS 302 via a message bus MSG. The durable POS terminal 400may also comprise a link select element 405 that is coupled to theconnection monitor via bus CS and to the COMMS 402 via bus LNK. Theorder processor 410 is coupled to the connection monitor 404 via busCBUS and to the payment processor 406, an order initiation element 407,and a GPS receiver 408 via bus SBUS. The order processor 410 may includea facial recognition processor 411 and is coupled to touchpad displayand camera circuits 403 via bus DATA and to terminal ID logic 409 viabus TID. The order processor 410 is also coupled to a state processor420 via a queue bus QBUS.

The state processor 420 may include a durable order update queue 421that includes order update records 422, each of which are associatedwith a corresponding order for the durable POS terminal 400. IndividualPOS terminals 400 are identified by their corresponding terminal ID,which may be stored within and accessed from the terminal ID element409.

Each of the order update records 422 may comprise order state fields423, which are employed to queue order state changes (i.e., orderupdates) for transmission to a backend server (not shown) asconnectivity to the backend server permits. State fields 423 nearest toOUT are the oldest order state changes queued for transmission to thebackend server. State fields 423 nearest to IN are youngest (or mostrecent) order state changes queued for transmission to the backendserver. Fields 423 between the oldest state fields 423 and the youngeststate fields 423 descend in age from oldest to youngest order statechange according to when those state changes are entered by POS terminal400.

Values of the order state fields 423 may include, but are not limitedto, an order ID along with order details and facial images taken by thePOS terminal 400. Accordingly, the order update record 422 for order O27depicts a plurality of order state fields 423 to be transmitted to theserver when connectivity is reestablished. In decreasing age from oldestto youngest order state change, the fields 423 depict order statechanges S1 through SN. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, theorder update record 422 027 depicts that many more state changes havebeen entered while connection status of the POS terminal 400 is downthan have been entered for orders 62 062 through order 3 03.Advantageously, the POS terminal 400 according to the present inventionmay be employed for entry of order updates even in the presence ofnetwork interruptions, which is characteristic of most Wi-Fi networks.

In operation, order state changes result from two sources: the touchpaddisplay/camera circuit 403 and messages received over COMMS 402 from thebackend server. In the first case, wait staff in possession of the POSterminal 400 may enter order items as requested by patrons, or in thecase of a self-service terminal 400, the patrons may enter the orderitems themselves. The wait staff may further capture facial images ofthe patrons or the patrons may operate the touchpad display/cameracircuit 403 to capture their own facial image. Accordingly, imagescaptured may be provided via DATA to the facial recognition processor411 within the order processor 410. The facial recognition processor 411may generate messages to the backend server over MSG that include one ormore captured images corresponding to a specific order number andrequesting patron identification, loyalty data, and payment token to beemployed for automated payment. The present invention contemplatesprovisions within the POS terminal 400 to display menu selections andpayment options to both wait staff and patrons, with complexity of theseoptions and other functions increased for use by wait staff. Forexample, a POS terminal 400 functioning as a fixed kiosk may not requirethe GPS receiver 408 or wireless links 401, but may comprise a touchpaddisplay/camera 403 on the order of 15 inches, an example of which is a1I-Series 2.0 for Android 15″ AiO Touchscreen as produced by Elo TouchSolutions, Inc. A POS terminal 400 functioning as a fixed POS terminalfor use by wait staff may be configured similar to the kiosk, but mayexhibit a larger touchpad display/camera circuit 403, an example ofwhich is a 1I-Series 2.0 for Android 22″ AiO Touchscreen as produced byElo Touch Solutions, Inc. A POS terminal 400 functioning as a mobileterminal may exclude wired links 401, it may include wireless links 401and a GPS receiver 408, and it may have a touchpad display/camera 403configured for handheld use. Order items received from the touchpaddisplay/camera circuit 403 are provided to the order processor 410 viabus DATA, which generates the state changes. State changes received fromthe server are provided to the order processor 410 in messages over busMSG.

The connection monitor 404 may monitor reception of a first message(e.g., a ping message) from the backend server and direct transmissionof an acknowledgement message. The connection monitor 404 may update theconnectivity status of the POS terminal 400 accordingly. In oneembodiment, acknowledgment may comprise a simple acknowledge message. Inother embodiments, acknowledgement may comprise additional data such asreceived signal strength indication RSSI associated with one or moreaccess points, number of hops between the backend server and the POSterminal 400, or Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, as will bedescribed in further detail below.

The link select element 405 may be employed to direct the COMMS tochange links 401 over which to communicate with the server, such asswitching from Wi-Fi to LTE, for example. In one embodiment, in theabsence of connectivity within the restaurant, the link select element405 may direct the COMMS 402 to tether to a cellular equipped devicecorresponding to an order ID, such as devices 206 in FIG. 2, in order totransmit acknowledgements and order state changes to the backend server.

The connection monitor 404 may provide connectivity status of the POSterminal 400 to the order processor 410 via bus CBUS. In one embodiment,the order processor 410 may generate order state change messages fromoldest to youngest update for each of the orders in the queue 421.Connectivity is maintained when the POS terminal 400 receivesacknowledgement of a previously transmitted order state change messagefrom the server. Once acknowledged, the order processor 410 directs thestate processor 420 to delete the oldest state change update for acorresponding order ID and shift pending updates so that the next oldeststate change update becomes the oldest order update. In one embodiment,state change updates are transmitted to the server until its order statechange record 422 is empty, or until connectivity goes down.

Messages received from the communications circuit 402 may also requireadditional functions to be performed by the POS terminal. For example,when orders are placed by a browser-based or third-party based terminal,the backend server may transmit the order state change to the POSterminal 400 and the order processor 410 may direct the state processor420 to create a corresponding order status record 422 in the queue 421.Similarly, when processing of transactions outside of the POS terminal'scapabilities (e.g., financial transactions with credit card providers,facial recognition, loyalty card discounts, etc.) are required, orderprocessor 410 may direct the payment processor 406 to generate messagesto the server to provide data (e.g., facial ID,s, amounts, paymentsource type, card swipe/chip information, etc.) to complete thetransactions. Such messages are transmitted via COMMS 302. The paymentprocessor 406 may further receive state changes (e.g., “patron notrecognized,” “patron recognized,” “fraudulent payment attempt,” “orderpaid,” “payment source 1 approved,” “discount amount,” etc.) to from theserver and may provide these state changes to the order processor 410via TBUS. The order processor 410 may then provide those updatescorresponding current state fields 412.

The POS terminal 400 may further be employed to create an order thatincludes facial images, as in the case of a delivery terminal, a fixedterminal, a mobile terminal, or a host terminal. Accordingly, from orderentry and facial data received over DATA, the order processor 410 maydirect the order initiation element 407 to create an order ID and mayalso direct the state processor 420 to create a corresponding orderstate record 422 in the queue 421.

The POS terminal 400 terminal according to the present invention isemployed to maintain a current state of all orders being fulfilled bythe restaurant. The current state of each of the orders are stored inthe order current state fields 412 within the order processor 410. Theorder processor 410 may also comprise domain specific rules, whichdefine actions required to synchronize conflicting order state changesbeing received and/or processed by the POS terminal 400, where thedomain specific rules 411 are unique to all of the POS terminals 400employed within the restaurant. For example, suppose that one POSterminal 400 transmits a state change for a specific order to theserver, which is acknowledged by the server. Concurrently, a second POSterminal 400 sends a state change for the same order. The server mayrespond to the second POS terminal with a message indicating that theorder current state field 412 for the order ID within the second POSterminal 400 state is out of date (due to connection status) andproviding the most recent current state of the order. The domainspecific rules are employed by the order processor within the second POSterminal 400 to merge the state changes local to the second POS terminal400 and may store the merged state in the corresponding current statefield 412. The order processor may then direct the COMMS 402 to transmitthe corresponding (reconciled) state field 412 contents to the backendserver for distribution to all the POS terminals 400.

The key component of correct conflict resolution (i.e. merging of statechanges to generate a valid current order state is the domain specificrules. The rules capture dependencies between individual current statefield values and validate state transitions. The domain specific rulesmay include, but are not limited, rules corresponding to pricing, tax,discount, refund, inventory calculations, and loyalty accrual logic.

Advantageously, the present invention provides for improvements inperformance of computational resources within the POS terminals 400 overthat which has heretofore been provided because the terminal 400 may beemployed to process orders in the absence of network connectivity. Inaddition, unnecessary communications with the server are precluded dueto on-board conflict resolution logic. Moreover, computing performanceis increased because the terminal 400 may be employed to process any ofthe other orders within the restaurant because the current states of allrestaurant orders are resident therein.

The POS terminal according to the present invention is configured toperform the functions and operations as discussed above and may compriseone or more central processing units (CPUs) coupled to both transitoryand non-transitory stores via conventional mechanisms. Thenon-transitory stores may include one or more applications programs thatmay be executed to perform the functions and operations discussed above.The one or more application programs may be cached within the transitorystorage for speed of execution at run time. The terminal 400 maycomprise digital and/or analog logic, circuits, devices, or microcode(i.e., micro instructions or native instructions), or a combination oflogic, circuits, devices, or microcode, or equivalent elements that areemployed to execute the functions and operations according to thepresent invention as noted. The elements employed to accomplish theseoperations and functions within the terminal 400 may be shared withother circuits, microcode, etc., that are employed to perform otherfunctions and/or operations within the terminal 400. According to thescope of the present application, microcode is a term employed to referto a plurality of micro instructions. A micro instruction (also referredto as a native instruction) is an instruction at the level that a unitexecutes. For example, micro instructions are directly executed by areduced instruction set computer (RISC) microprocessor. For a complexinstruction set computer (CISC) microprocessor such as an x86-compatiblemicroprocessor, x86 instructions are translated into associated microinstructions, and the associated micro instructions are directly executeby a unit or units within the CISC microprocessor.

Now turning to FIG. 5, a block diagram 500 is presented illustratingexemplary update/status messages according to the present invention thatflow between a backend server and a POS terminal.

An order assignment message 510 transmitted by the server to one or morePOS terminals may comprise fields 501 having a specific terminal IDTERMID assigned for a particular order ID ORDERID along with a tablenumber TABLENUM having a given number of seats NUMSEATS. The message 510may further comprise a SPECIAL field 501 via which special requirements(e.g., high chair, wheel chair access) are communicated to the POSterminal. The message 510 may moreover comprise facial ID fields viawhich loyalty and/or payment token data is provided to the POS terminalsfor one or more patrons that have been recognized.

An order state change message 520 transmitted from a POS terminal to theserver may comprise TERMID and ORDERID fields 501 as described above,along with one or more groups of ITEM, MOD, and SEAT# fields 501, wherecontents of the ITEM field 501 indicated a menu item ordered for a givenseat number at the table along with any modifications to the item number(e.g., rare, no onions, etc.).

A payment state change message 530 transmitted from a POS terminal tothe server may comprise TERMID and ORDERID fields along with one or moregroups of PMTREQ, AMT, and TIP fields 501, where contents of the PMTREQfield 501 indicate a payment type (e.g., cash, MasterCard, etc.), andcontents of AMT and TIP indicate amount of payment for the particularpayment type along with a tip amount.

An order closeout message 540 may comprise TERMID and ORDER ID fields501 as noted above, along with a CLOSED field 501, the contents of whichindicate whether the particular order ID is open or closed.

An enrollment message 550 exchanged between a POS terminal and theserver may comprise a TERMID field 501 as noted above along withORDERID, SEAT #, IMAGE, FACIAL ID, LOYALTY, and PMT fields, where theIMAGE and PMT fields are employed to communicate facial images andpayment method corresponding to a particular seat within the restaurantfor a patron that is presently enrolling. The FACIAL ID and LOYALTYfields are provided by the server to a POS terminal and provide agenerated facial ID for the seat number along with loyalty program data.The POS terminal may employ the facial ID and loyalty program data tomodify presentation of items to the patron corresponding to the seatnumber for purposes of upselling and for other CRM-related functions.

An inventory message 560 may comprise a group of INVITEM and INVAMTfields 501, the contents of which indicate the amount of inventoryremaining for a given inventory item as a result of processing currentorders in the restaurant. Accordingly, the server may employ the notedamounts to expedite ordering of additional inventory items, or toinstruct the POS terminals to remove certain corresponding menu itemsfrom their menus that are displayed to wait staff or patrons.

The messages 510, 520, 530, 540, 550, 560 are not exhaustive of thosewhat may be employed according to the present disclosure but areprovided herein to teach further aspects and advantages according to thepresent invention.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a flow diagram 600 is presented detailing amethod according to the present invention for enrollment and paymentmethod storage. This method may in part be implemented via portions ofthe application programs that are disposed within storage in the backendserver and terminals of the restaurant facial recognition systemdescribed above. Flow begins at block 602 when a patron enters arestaurant according to the present invention. Alternatively, flowbegins at block 602 after a patron has entered a restaurant and placedan order. Flow then proceeds to block 604.

At block 604, cameras disposed within the restaurant capture one or moreimages of the patron. The cameras may be stand alone and coupled to afixed POS terminal. The cameras may alternatively be integrated into orcoupled to a fixed or mobile POS terminal. Flow then proceeds to block606.

At block 606, via a display a POS terminal, an offer is made to thepatron to enroll his/her image into a loyalty program associated withthe restaurant or restaurant chain. The offer further includes optionsto enter a preferred payment method for the patron. Flow then proceedsto decision block 608.

At decision block 608, an evaluation is made to determine whether thepatron accepts enrollment of his/her image into the loyalty program. Ifnot, flow proceeds to block 618. If so, flow proceeds to block 610.

At block 610, facial recognition services within the system generate aunique facial ID for association with the one or more facial images,thus providing a mechanism for the system to index and access the imagesalong with loyalty data, demographics, and other CRM-related data. Flowthen proceeds to block 612.

At block 612, the patron may enter additional enrollment data such asname, address, phone number, email address, gift cards, other programmemberships, and etc. When entered, the additional enrollment data isstored within the system and is associated with the unique facial IDgenerated at block 610. Flow the proceeds to decision block 614.

At decision block 614, an evaluation is made to determine if the patronadditionally opts to provide a preferred payment method. If not, flowproceeds to block 618. If so, flow proceeds to block 616.

At block 616, the patron may enter the preferred payment method,examples of which include credit card type (e.g., VISA, AMEX), creditcard number, expiration date, zip code, and other data that may becommonly employed to authorize a credit card charge. Upon entry, thisdata is encrypted and stored within a secure vault (e.g., storage)within the system along with the facial ID. In addition, another uniquetoken may be stored within the vault to allow for access to loyaltyprogram data in the absence of facial recognition. Flow then proceeds toblock 618.

At block 618, the method completes.

The present inventor notes that although the above method is discussedin terms of a patron entering a restaurant and enrolling via one of thePOS terminals disposed therein, the present invention also contemplatesself-enrollment of the patron via a browser-based terminal or deliveryterminal outside of the restaurant premises.

Turning to FIG. 7, a diagram is presented illustrating an exemplaryenrollment display 700 according to the present invention. The display700 is representative of that shown via a touchpad display/camera aspart of an in-restaurant POS terminal, a delivery terminal, or abrowser-based terminal that has been used to place an order for goods.The display 700 has a plurality of primary icons 702 which, whentouched, result in display of a plurality of secondary icons 704. Asshown, a highlighted LUNCH MENU icon 702 has been pressed, which resultsin the display of lunch menu icons 704 that include APPETIZERS,SANDWICH, SIDES, DESSERTS, etc. Pressing one of the secondary icons 704results in display of a plurality of tertiary icons 706. As also shown,a highlighted APPETIZERS icon 704 has been pressed, which results in thedisplay of appetizer icons 706 that include, CRAB CAKES, FRIES, SPINACHDIP, etc. Via this exemplary hierarchical menu scheme, wait staff (viafixed or mobile terminals), the patron (via a kiosk or browser-basedterminal, or delivery staff (via a delivery terminal) may place an orderand may provide for payment of the order.

The display 700 also has a payment field 712 that shows a payment methodprovided by the patron, which has been entered either manually or byconvention means (i.e., swipe, dip, tap). The payment field 712, whenpressed, allows the patron to enter data to authorize a charge to thepayment method, in this case a card verification value (CVV) number. Asone skilled in the art will appreciate, different authorization servicesrequire alternate or additional information (e.g., zip code of thepayment method). The display 700 further has a CLOSE icon 714 which,when pressed will attempt to close out the corresponding order. Thedisplay 700 also shows an order status field 716 that details the ordernumber along with order status. If the example shown, the field 716indicates that a payment of $19.27 has been processed for order number27.

The display 700 also shows a captured facial image 708 of the patronalong with an ENROLL ? icon 710, whereby the patron is offeredenrollment of the image 708 into the restaurant's loyalty program alongwith storage of the processed payment method. By pressing ENROLL, thesystem stores the captured image, the processed payment method, theorder itself, and may further ask the patron to provide identifyinginformation and demographics. Subsequently, and advantageously, thepatron may place an order, receive the order, and authorize payment forthe order without a requirement to present the preferred payment method.

Referring to FIG. 8, a flow diagram 800 is presented depicting a methodaccording to the present invention for CRM and payment that employsfacial recognition. This method may in part be implemented via portionsof the application programs that are disposed within storage in thebackend server and terminals of the restaurant facial recognition systemdescribed above. Flow begins at block 802 when a patron enters arestaurant according to the present invention. Flow then proceeds toblock 804.

At block 804, cameras disposed within the restaurant capture one or moreimages of the patron. The cameras may be stand alone and coupled to afixed POS terminal. The cameras may alternatively be integrated into orcoupled to a fixed or mobile POS terminal. Flow then proceeds to block806.

At block 806, captured images are processed by the facial recognitionservice and, because the images are recognized, the service returns aunique facial ID for the patron that may be employed to access thepatron's loyalty program information and payment method. Flow thenproceeds to block 808.

At block 808, the patron's order history is accessed via the facial ID.Flow then proceeds to block 810.

At block 810, the patron's loyalty data is accessed via the facial ID.The loyalty data may include patron name, other identifying data,demographics, loyalty incentives status, and the like. Flow thenproceeds to block 812.

At block 812, the order history and loyalty data are employed by therestaurant system to access and present upsell opportunities and offersto the patron. The opportunities and offers may be presented by waitsstaff using POS terminals or directly to the patron via displays andoptions on a kiosk. Flow then proceeds to block 814.

At block 814, the patron's order is entered, processed, and fulfilled.Flow then proceeds to block 816.

At block 816, the patron's stored payment method is accessed. Flow thenproceeds to decision block 818.

At decision block 818, an evaluation is made to determine whether thepatron accepts to use his/her stored payment method to pay for thefulfilled order. If so, then flow proceeds to block 820. If not, thenflow proceeds to block 822.

At block 820, payment for the order is processed using the storedpayment method. Advantageously, only the patron's captured facial imageis required to access loyalty information and to pay for the fulfilledorder. Flow then proceeds to block 824.

At block 822, the patron is required to provide an alternative paymentmethod, which is processed to pay for the fulfilled order. Flow thenproceeds to block 824.

At block 824, the method completes.

The flow diagram 800 of FIG. 8 represents a series of steps using facialrecognition that increases the probability of upselling the patron;however, the present inventor notes that the method may be adapted toincrease workflow for a given POS terminal that may be experiencing abackup in service because of a large crowd or for other reasons. In thiscase, flow begins at block 802 when the patron places an order and flowproceeds directly to block 814 where the order is processed. Afterprocessing the order, wait staff may request whether the patron wouldlike to pay for the order by facial recognition. If so, then flowproceeds to block 804 (image capture), then to block 806 (facial IDreturned). Blocks 808, 810, and 812 are skipped because the order hasalready been processed, and flow proceeds directly to block 816. Flowthrough blocks 816, 818, 820, 822, and 824 proceeds as described above.

Turning now to FIG. 9, a diagram is presented featuring an exemplary CRMdisplay 900 according to the present invention. The display 900 isrepresentative of that shown via a touchpad display/camera as part of anin-restaurant POS terminal, a delivery terminal, or a browser-basedterminal that may be used to place an order for goods. The display 900has a plurality of primary icons 902 which, when touched, result indisplay of a plurality of secondary icons 904. As shown, a highlightedLUNCH MENU icon 902 has been pressed, which results in the display oflunch menu icons 904 that include APPETIZERS, SANDWICH, SIDES, DESSERTS,etc. Pressing one of the secondary icons 904 results in display of aplurality of tertiary icons 906. As also shown, a highlighted APPETIZERSicon 904 has been pressed, which results in the display of appetizericons 906 that include, CRAB CAKES, FRIES, SPINACH DIP, etc. Via thisexemplary hierarchical menu scheme, wait staff (via fixed or mobileterminals), the patron (via a kiosk or browser-based terminal, ordelivery staff (via a delivery terminal) may place an order and mayprovide for payment of the order.

The display 900 also has a captured image field 908 that presents animage of the patron captured by a camera 901 corresponding to the POSterminal or by other cameras within the restaurant. The display 900further includes an alert field 916 that provides a prompt to wait staffthat the patron has been recognized by the system along with number ofrecent visits and alert of an upsell opportunity.

The display 900 has an offer field 910 that shows loyalty program datacorresponding to the recognized patron, in this case an order historyshowing items and times ordered. Although other types of upsell offersare contemplated, the data in field 910 may be employed by wait staff toprompt the recognized patron to purchase more items or higher marginitems. The display 900 also has a TOTAL SPENT icon 912 that provides anindication to wait staff of the purchase volume for the recognizedpatron. For application to a kiosk, fields 910, 912, and 916 maycomprise alternative upsell offers to the patron. The display 900further has a CLOSE icon 914 which, when pressed will attempt to closeout the corresponding order.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a diagram is presented showing an exemplarypayment display 1000 according to the present invention. Like thedisplay 900 of FIG. 9, the exemplary payment display 1000 includesprimary icons 1002, secondary icons, 1004, tertiary icons 1006, capturedimage icon 1008, and a close icon 1014, which operate in the same manneras like named icons of the display 900 of FIG. 9.

The payment display 1000 further includes an order summary and totalicon 1010 that shows details of the order, a tip by the patron, and atotal amount due. The display 1000 also has a patron recognition icon1016 indicating a match within the system for the captured image 1008.The display 1000 additionally includes a stored payment method icon 1012and an alternative payment icon 1013. If the patron presses the storedpayment method icon 1012, then the patron may be enabled to pay for theorder total without having to be in physical possession of the storedpayment method. If the patron presses the alternative payment methodicon 1013, then the patron is required to provide an alternativephysical payment method, namely, cash, a gift card, or another creditcard.

Turning to FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a facial recognitionsystem according to the present invention that may be employed acrossmultiple restaurants. The system 1100 may comprise a network operationscenter 1110 having a plurality of backend servers 1111 as describedabove with reference to FIGS. 2-10. The servers 1111 are coupled to theinternet cloud 1120 as is described above. The system 1100 may alsocomprise a plurality of retail locations 1131 that are also coupled tothe cloud 1120. Subsets of the retail locations 1131 are divided intodomains 1130, where each of the domains 1130 comprise a unique set ofdomain specific rules as are described above. Each of the retaillocations 1131 may be coupled to one or more of the synchronizationsevers 1111 to allow for synchronization of order updates for POSterminals (not shown) disposed within the retail locations. For example,POS terminals in retail locations 1 and 2 1131 are within domain 1 1130and may be served by backend server 1 1111. Backend server 1 1111 mayutilize the same domain specific rules to synchronize updates betweenPOS terminals in locations 1 and 21131, where the server 1111 may updateall POS terminals within both locations, or selectively update terminalsin location 1 1131 with orders corresponding to location 1 1131, andterminals in location 2 1131 with orders corresponding to location 2. Inone embodiment, captured images, corresponding facial IDs, loyaltyprogram information, and stored payment methods are shared betweenretail locations within a given domain 1130. More specifically, the oneor more backend servers 1111 that are assigned to provide services forDOMAIN 2 1130 share captured images, corresponding facial IDs, loyaltyprogram information, and stored payment methods for RETAIL LOCATION 3,RETAIL LOCATION 4, and RETAIL LOCATION 5. Consequently, andadvantageously, once a patron is enrolled in the facial recognitionsystem at one of the retail locations 1131 within a given domain 1130,the patron's loyalty program data, demographic data, and stored paymentmethod may be employed within any of the retail locations 1131 in thatgiven domain 1130. In addition to providing substantial order processingefficiency improvements in this field of the art, processing andthroughput performance improvements are provided on the POS terminalsthemselves as a result of the innovations provided for by the presentinvention.

The use of facial recognition techniques according to the presentinvention for purposes of loyalty program enrollment, upsell,demographic report development, and payment presents further advantagesfor both patrons and retail establishment management in the form ofpayment security, examples of which will now be discussed with referenceto FIGS. 12-13.

Referring to FIG. 12, a flow diagram 1200 is presented detailing afacial recognition fraud detection method according to the presentinvention. This method may in part be implemented via portions of theapplication programs that are disposed within storage in the backendserver and terminals of the restaurant facial recognition systemdescribed above. Flow begins at block 1202 when a patron PATRON 1 ispresented with the opportunity to enroll in a loyalty and stored paymentmethod program according to the present invention via a POS terminal asdisclosed above. Flow then proceeds to block 1204.

At block 1204, PATRON 1 enrolls in the program and his/her preferredpayment method is stored along with a captured image, a facial ID, andother identifying information. Flow then proceeds to block 1206.

At block 1206, the physical payment method (e.g., a credit card) thatwas stored in block 1204 is stolen by PATRON 2. Flow then proceeds toblock 1208.

At block 1208, PATRON 2 enters a restaurant that is in the same domainas the POS terminal that was used to enter PATRON 1's preferred paymentmethod in block 1204. The facial recognition system within therestaurant captures one or more images of PATRON 2. Flow then proceedsto block 1210.

At block 1210, following order fulfillment, PATRON 2 attempts to use thestolen physical payment method to pay for his/her order. Flow thenproceeds to block 1212.

At block 1212, the facial recognition system within the restaurant failsto recognize PATRON 2 as the authorized user of the payment methodcorresponding to PATRON 1. Flow then proceeds to block 1214.

At block 1214, the POS terminal corresponding to PATRON 2's order isprovided with an alert of a possible fraudulent payment attempt. Flowthen proceeds to block 1216.

At block 1216, alerted wait staff may resolve the possible fraudulentpayment attempt by requiring PATRON 2 to provide supplementalauthorization data (e.g., driver's license) or by requiring PATRON 2 topay for the order using a different payment method. Flow then proceedsto block 1218.

At block 1218, the method completes.

Turning finally to FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary frauddetection display 1300 according to the present invention. Like thedisplays 900, 1000 of FIGS. 9 and 10, the exemplary fraud detectiondisplay 1300 includes primary icons 1002, secondary icons, 1004,tertiary icons 1006, captured image icon 1008, and a close icon 1014,which operate in the same manner as like named icons of the displays900, 1000 of FIGS. 9 and 10.

The fraud detection display 1300 further includes an order summary andtotal icon 1310 that shows details of the order, a tip by the patron,and a total amount due. The display 1300 also has a patron recognitionicon 1316 indicating that the patron in the captured image 1308 is notassociated with the payment method provided for payment of the order,and alerting wait staff to resolve the payment issue. The display 1300additionally includes a provide payment method icon 1312 indicating thatthe provided payment method does not correspond to the captured image1308. The display 1300 also includes an alternative payment icon 1313.If the patron presses the alternative payment method icon 1013, then thepatron is required to provide an alternative physical payment method,namely, cash, a gift card, or another credit card. In one embodiment,wait staff, when provided with sufficient evidence that the paymentattempt is not fraudulent, may override the alert and process paymentusing the stored payment method. For example, when only one authorizeduser of a credit card is registered with the system according to thepresent invention and another authorized user attempts to pay using thatcredit card, the wait staff may allow the charge on the stored creditcard to process and may add the other authorized user to the loyaltysystem.

Not only can the present invention be employed to detect potentialfraud, but it may also be employed to authorize a payment when a creditcard authorization service initially declines a charge to a storedpayment method. For example, some credit card payment authorizationservices will automatically decline a charge when an authorized usertravels to an entirely new location. In this instance, the facialrecognition system according to the present invention may enable anexchange with the credit card authorization service that would allow thecharge to process, thereby saving the patron from a potentialembarrassing situation.

Portions of the present invention and corresponding detailed descriptionare presented in terms of software, or algorithms and symbolicrepresentations of operations on data bits within a computer memory.These descriptions and representations are the ones by which those ofordinary skill in the art effectively convey the substance of their workto others of ordinary skill in the art. An algorithm, as the term isused here, and as it is used generally, is conceived to be aself-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. The stepsare those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities.Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form ofoptical, electrical, or magnetic signals capable of being stored,transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It hasproven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, torefer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters,terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise, or as is apparent from the discussion,terms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or“determining” or “displaying” or the like, refer to the action andprocesses of a computer system, a microprocessor, a central processingunit, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates andtransforms data represented as physical, electronic quantities withinthe computer system's registers and memories into other data similarlyrepresented as physical quantities within the computer system memoriesor registers or other such information storage, transmission or displaydevices.

Note also that the software implemented aspects of the invention aretypically encoded on some form of program storage medium or implementedover some type of transmission medium. The program storage medium may beelectronic (e.g., read only memory, flash read only memory, electricallyprogrammable read only memory), random access memory magnetic (e.g., afloppy disk or a hard drive) or optical (e.g., a compact disk read onlymemory, or “CD ROM”), and may be read only or random access.

Similarly, the transmission medium may be metal traces, twisted wirepairs, coaxial cable, optical fiber, or some other suitable transmissionmedium known to the art. The storage medium may be non-transitory ortransitory. The invention is not limited by these aspects of any givenimplementation.

The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, andthose skilled in the art will appreciate that they can readily use thedisclosed conception and specific embodiments as a basis for designingor modifying other structures for carrying out the same purposes of thepresent invention, and that various changes, substitutions andalterations can be made herein without departing from the scope of theinvention as set forth by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A restaurant fraud detection apparatus,comprising: one or more cameras disposed within a retail establishment,configured to capture one or more images of a patron within said retailestablishment; point-of-sale (POS) terminals, operably coupled to saidone or more cameras, wherein a physical payment method is provided bysaid patron and entered into one of said POS terminals, and wherein oneor more of said POS terminals receives said one or more images, andtransmits a request over a network for recognition of said patron; and abackend server, disposed other than where said POS terminals aredisposed, operably coupled to said POS terminals via said network,configured to receive said request, to access loyalty program datacomprising a stored payment method that corresponds to said physicalpayment method, and to transmit an alert to said POS terminals thatindicates said patron is not recognized and that use of said physicalpayment method may be fraudulent because said stored payment method isassociated with a different patron.
 2. The apparatus as recited in claim1, wherein said loyalty program data further comprises patron name,patron image, and an order history for said different patron.
 3. Theapparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein wait staff at said one of saidPOS terminals are alerted to request additional identification data fromsaid patron in order to authorize or decline a charge using saidphysical payment method.
 4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, whereina first subset of said POS terminals operably connects to said networkvia one or more Wi-Fi access points disposed within said retailestablishment.
 5. The apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein saidfirst subset of said POS terminals comprises handheld tablet computers,each comprising one of said one or more cameras.
 6. The apparatus asrecited in claim 4, wherein a second subset of said POS terminalsoperably connects to said network via a wired connection disposed withinsaid retail establishment.
 7. The apparatus as recited in claim 4,wherein said second subset of said POS terminals comprises mountedtablet computers, each comprising one of said one or more cameras.
 8. Arestaurant fraud detection apparatus, comprising: one or more camerasdisposed within a retail establishment, configured to capture one ormore images of a patron within said retail establishment; point-of-sale(POS) terminals, operably coupled to said one or more cameras, wherein aphysical payment method is provided by said patron and entered into oneof said POS terminals, and wherein one or more of said POS terminalsreceives said one or more images, and transmits a request over a networkfor recognition of said patron; and a backend server, disposed otherthan where said POS terminals are disposed, operably coupled to said POSterminals via said network, configured to receive said request, toaccess loyalty program data comprising a stored payment method thatcorresponds to said physical payment method, and to transmit an alert tosaid POS terminals that indicates said patron is not recognized and thatuse of said physical payment method may be fraudulent because saidstored payment method is associated with a different patron, saidbackend server comprising: a payment processor, configured to accesssaid stored payment method that corresponds to said different patron. 9.The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said loyalty program datafurther comprises patron name, patron image, and an order history forsaid different patron.
 10. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, whereinwait staff at said one of said POS terminals are alerted to requestadditional identification data from said patron in order to authorize ordecline a charge using said physical payment method.
 11. The apparatusas recited in claim 8, wherein a first subset of said POS terminalsoperably connects to said network via one or more Wi-Fi access pointsdisposed within said retail establishment.
 12. The apparatus as recitedin claim 11, wherein said first subset of said POS terminals compriseshandheld tablet computers, each comprising one of said one or morecameras.
 13. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein a secondsubset of said POS terminals operably connects to said network via awired connection disposed within said retail establishment.
 14. Theapparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein said second subset of said POSterminals comprises mounted tablet computers, each comprising one ofsaid one or more cameras.
 15. A restaurant fraud detection method,comprising: via one or more cameras disposed within a retailestablishment, capturing one or more images of a patron within theretail establishment; via one of a plurality of point-of-sale (POS)terminals, receiving the one or more images, and transmitting a requestover a network for recognition of the patron, wherein a physical paymentmethod is provided by the patron and is entered into the one of theplurality of POS terminals; and via a backend server, disposed otherthan where the plurality of POS terminals is disposed and operablycoupled to the plurality of POS terminals via the network, receiving therequest, accessing loyalty program data comprising a stored paymentmethod that corresponds to the physical payment method, and transmittingan alert to the POS terminals that indicates the patron is notrecognized and that use of the physical payment method may be fraudulentbecause the stored payment method is associated with a different patron.16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the loyalty program datacomprises patron name, patron image, and an order history for thedifferent patron.
 17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein waitstaff at the one of the POS terminals are alerted to request additionalidentification data from the patron in order to authorize or decline acharge using the physical payment method.
 18. The method as recited inclaim 15, wherein a first subset of the plurality of POS terminalsoperably connects to the network via one or more Wi-Fi access pointsdisposed within the first retail establishment.
 19. The method asrecited in claim 18, wherein the first subset of the POS terminalscomprises handheld tablet computers, each comprising one of the one ormore cameras.
 20. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein a secondsubset of the POS terminals operably connects to the network via a wiredconnection disposed within the first retail establishment, and whereinthe second subset of the POS terminals comprises mounted tabletcomputers, each comprising one of the one or more cameras.